RESTON, Va., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- comScore, Inc. , a leader in measuring the digital world, today released an update of holiday season e-commerce spending for the first 37 days (November 1 - December 7) of the November - December 2007 holiday season. More than $18 billion has been spent online during the season-to-date, marking an 18-percent gain versus the corresponding days last year. Thursday, December 6 recorded $803 million in online sales, up 28 percent versus year ago, making it the heaviest online spending day in history.
2007 Holiday Season To Date vs. Corresponding Days* in 2006 Non-Travel (Retail) Spending Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations Source: comScore, Inc. Billions ($) Holiday Season to Date 2006 2007 Pct Change November 1 - December 7 $15.24 $18.01 18% Week Ending December 7 $3.83 $4.58 20% Thanksgiving Day (November 22) $0.21 $0.27 29% "Black Friday" (November 23) $0.43 $0.53 22% "Cyber Monday" (November 26) $0.61 $0.73 21% Thursday, December 6 $0.63 $0.80 28% * Corresponding Shopping Days, Not Calendar Days
"December got off to a strong start, as we saw spending growth accelerate to 20 percent for the week and the first ever $800 million online spending day on record," said comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni. "It was a terrific kick-start to December, but we expect the upcoming week to be the heaviest online spending week of the holiday season as the procrastinators and late-season deal-seekers come out in earnest."
Nintendo Wii and Apple iPod Lead the Way among Hot Tech Product Searches
November saw millions of consumers research their holiday season purchases, and several technology product searches proved particularly popular. More than 30 million U.S. searches were conducted for Nintendo Wii, while Apple iPod (24.8 million) and Xbox 360 (11 million) also generated heavy search activity. Interestingly, Sony PlayStation 2 generated more searches (9.7 million) than the more recently introduced PlayStation 3 (7.6 million), a sign that consumers are bargain-hunting this year and seeking out more affordable gift options.
Selected* Tech Product Searches November 2007 Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations Source: comScore, Inc. Products Searches (000) Nintendo Wii 30,455 Apple iPod 24,777 Xbox 360 10,985 Playstation 2 9,658 Playstation 3 7,566 Nintendo DS Lite 6,586 Apple iPhone 6,002 Apple iPod Nano 4,231 Garmin GPS 3,032 Apple iPod Touch 2,880 Playstation PSP 2,010 TomTom GPS 1,291 Magellan GPS 664 Nokia N95 390 Nokia N81 66 Amazon Kindle 61
* Based on a selection of product searches; does not constitute a ranking of all products
"Gaming consoles and accessories represent the strongest growing product category this holiday season, with sales up more than 130 percent versus year ago. The Nintendo Wii is attracting particularly strong interest, as evidenced by the intense search activity occurring around the product," added Mr. Fulgoni. "While iPods and iPhones are predictably popular, we're also seeing that consumers are actively searching for information on GPS products. This is a category that can be expected to grow strongly during the next few years."
comScore 2007 Retail E-Commerce Forecast Online Non-Travel (Retail) Holiday Consumer Spending Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations Source: comScore, Inc. Billions ($) Pct 2006 2007 Change January - October $77.5 $93.6 21% Holiday Season (Nov-Dec) $24.6 $29.5* 20%* *comScore forecast About comScore
comScore, Inc. is a global leader in measuring the digital world. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given comScore permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. comScore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its proprietary technology, comScore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of behavior and attitudes. comScore analysts apply this deep knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI. comScore services are used by more than 800 clients, including global leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, BBC, Carat, Cyworld, Deutsche Bank, France Telecom, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Financial Times, ESPN, Fox Sports, Nestle, Starcom, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, Verizon, ViaMichelin, Merck and Expedia. For more information, please visit http://www.comscore.com/.
